Rocco Awesome goes to school

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013Leave a comment

Dear Mario:

Mom and dad love you to the moon and stars and sun and back. How many times have I said “Hey Mario, guess what?” And how many times have you replied “I know, you love me to the moon and stars and sun and back.”

As I walked out of your classroom this morning feeling a little nervous about how your first day in kindergarten would go but also really excited for you to experience school and all that it entails, I thought about all the times we had mouthed those precious words to one another: “I love you to the moon and stars and sun and back….”

I hope that when you start to feel a little lonely or scared, you will reach for those words and they will lift you up and bring you the confidence to get through the day. Because you are an incredible little being full of imagination and curiosity, and dad and I have no doubt you will take that kindergarten class by storm!

You have been so excited to start school – counting down the number of days since the end of Spring. We could tell you were a little nervous this morning but you got dressed and packed your lunch and put on your book bag like a pro. And when we talked about walking in with you, you demanded to walk in alone. Eventually, you let down your guard somewhat and let us walk in behind you.

You did exactly as Ri instructed – placed your book bag on your pre-selected hook, deposited your lunch box in the bin and stuck your magnet on “Packing.”

Then you sat at your desk and began to complete your first kindergarten task: draw flowers in a vase. Other kids ran around and held onto parents but you got to work. After all, you’ve been anxiously awaiting homework since watching your sis do it all last year!

And then we said goodbye.

And you shyly looked up with those melting eyes and that perfect face and I wanted to sweep you out of the chair and take you with me. But instead I smiled , hugged you, told you you’d be great and walked towards the door. Dad hugged you, too, and gave you a fist pump. You waved at us with a bit of hesitancy but also a bit of pride. You were officially in kindergarten, and you had completed your first task as instructed by your teacher.

You are going to be a superstar; we have no doubt about it. After all, you did name yourself “Rocco Awesome” when you were only four years old. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Can and can’t

August 14, 2013August 14, 2013Leave a comment

We have decided this is it.
You can’t go any farther than third grade.
You can’t get any taller or lose any more teeth.
You can’t need a bra.
You can’t keep getting bigger feet.
You can’t grow out of stuffed animals.
You can’t giggle about cute boys.
You can’t put on deodorant.
You can’t want to walk home by yourself.
You can’t want me to stop at your classroom door.

Ok, we know all of those are impossible but can you at least fulfill some of the “can’s” below…

You can stay our baby.
You can keep hugging us.
You can kiss us a thousand times a day.
You can snuggle with us.
You can laugh so hard with us and Mario that you fall off your chair.
You can draw us pictures.
You can ask us to rub your back.
You can sit on our laps.
You can talk to us about anything.

We know you are gonna have an incredible third grade year, Ri Grace, and we love you so very much! Always stay curious and open to new possibilities!

Love, Mom and Dad

Back to school

August 13, 2013August 13, 2013Leave a comment

I got a glimpse of what our mornings would look like this school year when I asked the kids to get ready for back-to-school night at Stevenson. Ri threw on an old tank top and a hat because she didn’t want to brush her hair. She was ready in five seconds. Mario, to the contrary, was in his room for ten minutes before I yelled to him to hurry up.
“I can’t get my button buttoned!”
He sounded frustrated. I walked upstairs and saw him standing in his room with clothes scattered around him. He clearly had tried on numerous outfits before landing on the one he was wearing. I buttoned the too button of his shirt but not before trying to convince him that he could keep it unbuttoned and look cool.
“Mom, it looks stupid like that and it bothers me. I want it buttoned to the top.”
Mario knows best.
He then walked into our bedroom and found the hair gel. Jon gave him his old gel to use and Mario thinks that is too cool. He stood in the mirror for at least five minutes dipping his fingers into the gel and tussling his hair. I kept telling him he looked fine and he kept saying “hold on one more minute, mom, I’m almost ready.”

Jon and I know now that we will need to wake him up a half hour earlier than Ri so he can get dressed and do his hair. God love him. When he walked outside, Ri exclaimed “look at that darling baby boy!” Mario frowned and yelled “stop embarrassing me Ria!” He was clearly nervous.
But the night went well. He found his classroom and chair with Ri’s help. She made him practice putting his magnetic name on the “Packing” side and the “Buying” side of the wall, and she showed him where to write his name. She’s a good mama bear.

Mario made a new friend immediately and ran around with Quinn and the new friend all night. Maria was off on her own with her girlfriend, Anna, never to be seen until the night was over. I couldn’t even get a picture of her. Just wait until the first day of school tomorrow…she will be begging me to leave.

School’s out

June 2, 2013June 2, 2013Leave a comment

Maria did it up right on her last day of school – she rode her scooter in her white sundress and pink chain necklace, and stopped by Stauf’s for a blueberry scone for breakfast.

It was definitely a bittersweet day for Ri. She loved her teacher this year, Mrs. Palmer. Mrs. Palmer is a hip, conscious, progressive, intelligent, technology savvy, non-conformist teacher. Her classroom doesn’t have the traditional tables and chairs; it has bean bags and funky chairs and rugs. She teaches a large portion of her class by computer – all of her second graders, including Ri, created and maintained their own blog during the year. She was great for Maria.

Mrs. Palmer made a tile plaque for each child as an end-of-the-year present. She told me she cried as she read it to Ri. I cried when I read it, too. So thoughtful and further evidence that she is wonderful. She really captured Ri’s qualities, especially that she finds such joy in the ordinary which will make her life experiences all the more extraordinary.

And then there was Mario’s graduation. Ri gave up a birthday party to go to it (“How can I miss Mario’s big day, mom?!”). Mario already felt “above” his friends when he marched into school. After all, he’d been out of preschool for a whole week since David began babysitting; all of his friends were still “stuck there” as Mario told us over and over.

His teachers made him a graduation cap that he was quick to scrutinize and determine was too big (it fit just right to me). They tightened it but then it was too small. I finally had to make two more adjustments before he was content (his teachers won’t miss that, I am sure).

He walked in the muscle room with his class and waited for his name to be called. He received a certificate from his teachers and was polite and darling on the stand (I was hoping he’d break out in Gangum Style!).

Patty and Joe came down for his graduation, and while he was waiting for his name to be called he kept begging to go home with them for the weekend. Do you think he got that wish?

Of course he did. And then he became a super-happy graduate!

Kindergarten or Bust

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013Leave a comment

And that’s how Mario left his class remembering him: dancing Gangum Style. He got inspired to dance by one of his classmates who told me what he’d miss most about Mario was how funny he was when he danced Gangum Style. Another kid in the class said she’d miss how Mario yelled “whoop whoop” in the middle of class. I have a feeling Mario may be heading to the principal’s office a few times once he hits kindergarten.

He wanted me to bring cupcakes on his last day – half chocolate and half vanilla. He stood next to them and ordered his classmates to get a paper towel and sit at their seats. He then picked up one at a time and asked the class who liked Madagascar or Avengers or Spongebob – all the different character rings that came on the cupcakes. He’d drop one off and then tell the class to settle down and wait their turn. He loves being in charge and he loves all eyes on him.

I asked if he’d be sad leaving his class and never returning. His response was unequivocal and quick: “No, I’m in kindergarten now.” He’s made it to the big show and he is not looking back.

Big Darby Field Trip – to be a second grader…

August 30, 2012August 30, 2012Leave a comment

I came home from my morning run to an outraged son. “Don’t talk to me mom! You didn’t take me on your run this morning!” He had crawled in bed with me at 6 am and asked to go. I ignored him and told him to go back to bed. Then I couldn’t. So I got up at 6:30 and took off while he laid in bed looking like a life-sized doll baby. Jon settled him down by reminding him that he gets to take off school tomorrow and go to Big Mario’s with Jon… and get donuts. His anger subsided greatly.

Maria and I ran around trying to get our extra clothes and shoes and lunches together for Maria’s school field trip to Big Darby Creek. I promised her I would come and frankly, this trip seemed right up my alley with all the hiking and creeking. She looked adorable with her striped socks pulled up to her knees and her running shorts.

She stayed with her friend Ceylone most of the day. I think she likes Ceylone because Ceylone lets her take care of her. Ceylone cried that a bee was near her and Ri came to the rescue and shooed it away. Ceylone’s feet hurt on our walk to see the bison and Ri stayed with her until her mom brought new shoes to her. She likes to play the mama hen.

The trip was well organized with a sensory activity first, a field activity second and a creek activity last. The guides were very passionate about their topic and kept most of the kids engaged. For the first activity, the kids had to make a circle with a string and describe everything they saw in the circle. Ri found grass and leaves and dirt and moss. They had to smell it and describe how it felt.

For the field activity, we had to walk what seemed like a mile out to a field. I could not believe how good the kids were throughout the trek. Ri never complained once. The guide in the field was an older gentleman who obviously loved insects. He knew all about them and got the kids excited about catching them.

It took Ri and I a while but we finally caught a beetle. I can’t remember the official name of the beetle but it was cool. A couple of kids found praying mantis’ which were exquisite to observe. We also saw a stick bug – an insect I’ve never seen. They look extra-terrestrial to me.

We had quite the hike back to lunch. I ate in 3 seconds I was so hungry. Maria seems to also choose friends who get a big lunch packed for them and barely eat any of it. Ceylone gave Maria her Oreos and all of her crackers. Maria gave her a bear hug in return.

The creek was lots of fun because it was so hot and the water felt cool. The kids got to hold a screen in the water while other kids did a “dance” near it to try to rough up the mud and rocks. The hope was to get macro invertebrate to move onto the screen and then take it up to the sitting area to see what we got. When someone asked if we could catch fish, the guide said no and asked why. Maria answered “because fish have back bones.” My smart girl!

Maria acted the leader role during the creek activity. She held the screen and commanded the other kids to “dance” and get the invertebrates moving! I worry she may have a career in the Army some day the way she shouts out orders. The kids found lots of goodies with crayfish being the most exciting. And Maria was not scared to pick them up.

On our walk back, I got to talk to Maria’s teacher and learn a little bit about her. She is great for Ri – very open and honest and into the outdoors. I don’t know if Ri held her hand more or mine on the trip! As we were about to leave the trail, we spotted a baby toad. What a gift to end the day. I got to hold one of my favorite creatures with Ri.

The kids got to ride the bus home soaking wet since there was no time to change. Ri thought that was cool. And to top the day, Ri got to take her classroom pet, Pikachu the chinchilla, home for the weekend. Jon and I are so excited!

Good Morning!

June 4, 2012June 4, 2012Leave a comment

Maria woke me up this morning at 6:20. She jumped out of our bed and shot into her room. She was dressed in 5 minutes and back in our room asking when Maggie would be over. Can we say excited?!

Maggie took Maria to the school that Maggie teaches at today. it was the last day of school for Maggie’s kiddies so they were making sundaes and watching movies. Maria was pumped. Jon said she sat on the front door steps for 10 minutes waiting for Maggie to pick her up. Doll baby girl.

Meanwhile, Mario climbed in bed with Jon and me while Maria got dressed. I tried to gently sneak out from under his arm but he quickly opened his eyes and asked “where are you going, mom?” I told him I was going for a run and I’d be back soon. He did what I knew he’d do – begged to go with me. And I responded the way I knew I’d respond – ok. So, he hopped in the stroller with the iPad and we were off. We had to make the Tim Horton’s stop to get Timbits but only after he ate a graham cracker with peanut butter so he had some nutrients swarming around his system.

We returned an hour later in order to miss seeing Maggie taking Maria for the day (Mario would have been so angry to not be included to the party). On the way down the street, Mario and I engaged in his favorite game. He says “You don’t love me mom!” and I respond “of course I love you goofy” while I reach down and tickle him. He loves this game and we play it all the way home. I pick him up out of the stroller to take him inside, and he gives me a huge bear hug as we walk in the back door and get ready for school.

A good start to the morning.

Open House

May 21, 2012May 21, 20121 Comment

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Maria hosted Granmda Ionno, Mario and me at her Open House at school. She had a clipboard with a checklist of everything she had to show us before the night was over. We got to listen to other Fairy Tale about a big bad dog and a cat, watch her slide show on the blue morpho butterfly and learn a lot of desert facts. She has accomplished a lot this year, and has especially excelled in her reading. I can’t believe how well she is reading compared to the beginning of the year.

She is a very good student and listens to her teacher. She rarely ever gets in trouble, and when she does she feels horrible. I think she is one heck of a student. While Maria was showing us her shoebox 3-D project (the blue morpho butterfly one that I helped with) she detailed how a girl in her class made fun of it. She seemed really hurt by the girl’s comments, and for one minute, I felt like approaching the girl and giving her a piece of my mind. I asked Maria if she told the girl how it made her feel and she told me she just walked away from her. Maybe a better move in this instance since I can tell the girl is a piece of work. The mama bear comes out in me when I am told of those situations.

Grandma Ionno tried to get up a few times to check on Grandpa but Maria begged her to stay and listen to her reading or watch her slide show. She loves having family there to watch her. After the event, we went to Panera for dinner. Mario talked about inappropriate things and Maria talked about how it seems “like only yesterday that Mario’s hair was really thin.” God love her – she cracks me up with her 60-year-old quips, and god love him, he is just insane. When we came home tonight, she set all of her paperwork aside from school in order to show Jon when he returns home from out-of-town. She was so heartbroken when she learned that Jon would not be able to attend her event but he made it up to her by promising her a double chocolate frozen drink at Starbuck’s. He knows how to make up for his absence.

The dreaded art project

May 15, 2012Leave a comment

God help me. It has finally happened. I dreaded the day. I had thought we may have escaped it since we are so close to the end of the year…. The do-it-at home art project.

Jon and I are both left-brained people. Logical, rational, linear. Where are my right-brained sister and brother when I most need them? Ok, so I exaggerate a tad bit seeing the project was simply to make a morpho butterfly from the rain forest in 3D. Doesn’t sound too hard. Right?

We bought clay last weekend, and that ended up going nowhere fast. We got the clay a bit wet to mold it better (my left-brained self followed the instructions to a tee) but then the clay stuck to the plate and then to our hands and then to the knife as we cut through it. Maria was in tears within five minutes and I was ready to throw the clay at the wall if only it would have peeled off my hands. We also thought about cutting out the morpho butterfly on construction paper and stuffing both pieces of paper with tissue paper. I think that idea may have been our smartest but Jon thought we should use big sheets of paper at his office and nobody wanted to make the commute up there so we ditched the idea completely.

We landed on colored molding clay which was a lot easier to mold than the grey modeling clay. Ri and I worked on two wings for the butterfly after reviewing internet pictures. I thought for sure that Ri would freak at the wings that I (we) made for the creature but I think she was too tired to complain at that point. We were out of pipe cleaners for the antennae so we used Q tips (cut off the ends) instead (they don’t have that cute twist but whatever…). Next, Maria had a great idea for the shoebox that would be the butterfly’s home. She drew trees and put real leaves on them and then stood a paper tree up in the front of the box so the butterfly could perch in it. After a bit of drama about getting the butterfly to stick on the tree (she takes pride in using scotch tape everywhere) , she had our creation and, most importantly, she was happy with it.

Jon and I were, too. After all, it is quite a piece of work for a lawyer and a business executive.

Let the Bikes Roll Out

March 13, 2012Leave a comment

Let the bikes roll out.

Let the shorts be worn.

Let the convertibles lose their tops.

It hit 70 degrees today, and life is good.

I could not wait to get off of work and pick up the kids. I retrieved Mario first since he begged me to do so this morning and he is on the way to Maria’s school. He has been discussing Superheros all week, and when I picked him up he had a red cardboard cylinder around his bicep. I asked him what he was wearing.

“It is my superhero power shield. We all got to pick a superhero name and I picked GoldStar. I have lightning that shoots out of my mouth and lasers that shoot out of my eyes.”

Awesome, dude. He says goodbye to his friends and we head to the car. On the way to Maria’s school, we talk about superheros. He loves to talk about Wonder Woman since I loved her so much as a kid. When we get to Maria’s school, he leads me to her classroom. The room is quiet with kids studying until Mario barges in and yells “Ria, mom picked me up first!” He always has to get one up on her and I am surprised she doesn’t just belt him some days. This morning she wanted me to take her to school so badly but Jon had to take her to get to work on time. She cried for me (she was having a “I need mommy” morning) as she walked downstairs. Mario stood at the top of the stairs and yelled to Maria “Mom is taking me to school – not you, Ria.” If she would have thrown her shoe at him, I could not have said much to her. He is a complete stinker.

We left Maria’s school with Maria on my iPad and Mario on my iPhone. We got home and I let them sit on the front steps playing with the electronics while I put things away. It is so refreshing to open the windows and feel the breeze run through the rooms. Fresh air, finally! We got the bikes out to time Mario’s dash up the street and back and to try to help Maria learn how to mount her bike without falling. We cooked sausages. Jon came home and Mario darted down the sidewalk to greet him.

We stood outside and watched the kids play. We admired our work from Sunday – the garden looks half way ready to go and the windows look good with their screens. Walking in the house and smelling the fresh outdoor air is a godsend. And hearing the kids playing outside on the back deck brings gratitude for the upcoming Spring.

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama

Tag: School